Show Men a M By GEORGE MARSH Ca E fl 1 I THE STORY SO for the cold six men lost their lives on the Red Garrett brother ol one of the and half-breed arrive at posing as The trader led his guests Into a large living room the floor of which was strewn with caribou and bear-skin Two hundred miles from the railroad the trader lived in you're surveying the he suppose that will take you all Garry his thoughts with the we have the lower to finish before joining our party at you're not mapping the big rivers that feed this chain of You'd need canoe men left the best white-water man in Canada out there on the island but we'd need more than said Finlay need you have a man with So you thought Blaise was killed on the did surmised Then he judge from the buoys you use planes There was a shadow of annoyance in the other's have to hire a plane from Quebec to bring the girls In and They don't like the I can't get them to winter It makes it pretty Shortly a girl appeared at the door and There was laughter outside and Isa-dore's wife and step-daughter entered the large room at one end of which a table was set you won't mind If we dolled up and powdered our noses bubbled Corinne an event to have guests and such Isadore disappeared and returned with a cocktail pitcher and The two guests watched him closely as he filled the glasses with martinis and passed Finlay gave the signal to the questioning eyes of Malone as he lifted his our charming he holding his glass at his lips until Isadore and Corinne had started to He watched Lise closely as she placed her half-emptied glass on the making her so he the surface she seems too decent to be the stepdaughter of this Garry caught the trader studying the bulge in Red's coat caused by the in his hip holster as he bent over the effervescent sudden he you're so foolish as to try to pull anything tonight sudden Watch your There was red-fleshed sturgeon and roast ptarmigan and the hungry men did honor to the half-breed When the girl brought in bottles of red Garry gave Malone the signal by rubbing his left so mine Garry mentally wine may make your ladies It was evident that Corinne Isadore was making a night of She was mercilessly flashing her black eyes at the russet-haired blowing cigarette smoke in his face and greeting his low-pitched conversation with bursts of laughter while he casually filled and refilled her As he talked with Isa-dore's cold eyes constantly wandered to his wife's flushed face inching closer to It was different with She lit and snuffed out half-smoked cigarette after The hand holding her fork was It was evident that Lise Dema-rais was either excited or home is in he your work has been in the broke In Finlay was on his There were questions he wished to suppose you're a Province of Quebec he Isadore think I'm my father was Finlay saw Corinne Isadore answer what must have been a signal by raising her black She turned to Red you've finished the map of the you'll let me see Could it be I'd love a map of his first thought doesn't believe we're I'll trace one for replied beaming into Corinne's challenging applauded appreciate let's drink to a successful summer for us But your glasses are I'll open another Finlay noticed that the glasses of Isadore and the girls were That couldn't be He'd watch As the trader half turned to uncork a fresh held at his Garry aw his left grasping the move over the mouth as he took the bottle in his right fill the Bosses of his Finlay Is told that the six men were not drowned as Suspicion prevails that rich fur has made a gold strike and alms to keep prospectors out of the country at any The three men start out on the V. Ll Jl rV jV iV V Finlay's eyes found and held His right hand lazily moved to the back of his Red caught the warning and turned to British he always exchange glasses for a Isadore coughed The veins in his forehead Not another You've had too much His voice split the silence as an axe splits Blood flooded the girl's olive Her eyes no child to be told what to she shot at the man who sat rigid watching then drained the glass in her hand-On the hush that followed broke an Idle tapping on the spruce As he watched the infuriated Malone's straining ears caught the dots and in Morse of Finlay's signalling bottle Isadore's high-pitched now under broke the You'll excuse She's not used to much Corinne drew deeply on her blew a cloud of smoke into Red's face as she round arms on the you I've had too much she course Red from the corner of his watching her fast drooping forgotten our insisted the tight-faced rais- the surface she seems too decent to be the stepdaughter of this ing his successful summer to us With a Finlay reached past the surprised girl beside him lifting her turned to his a successful His voice carried the ring of splintering Eyes the three men Lise turned on did you do It was just as There was bottled fury in Isadore's you help Elbows sprawled on the chin cupped In one a plume of hair like a drooping crow's wing masking an Corinne sighed to has come over I feel so you hear Isadore's voice was as brittle as March But Lise Demarais sat frozen to her her frightened eyes riveted on something across the Finlay followed the direction of her Through a half door peered a hideously grotesque framed by yellowish-white Finlay But the girl's obsessed eyes were still anchored to the closed door across the She rose and went to her followed by while Finlay waited with folded gers glued to the stock of his hidden me for a said the He raised his half-conscious wife to her feet and took her from the followed by At the door she turned a bloodless face toward the two men at the then Red Malone's puzzled eyes clung to his As he caught the meaning of the folded arms he right hand on and pivoted swiftly in his But the door Finlay was watching remained On the silence of the room broke the tapped message from the middle finger of his left was at the door behind It scared If Isadore doesn't we'll shoot our Way to the ca despite On the third day out they are ambushed from They escape serious Injury and start for the Hudson's Bay Finlay and Malone visit Isadore and meet his V iV Red There was the glint of sun on young ice in his blue Stiff In their chairs the men Then the trader is most he coolly Isadore took more than she's accustomed I hope you'll Garry he you thank her and your daughter for a most delicious dinner and interesting you're not The night Is Finlay admired Isadore's callous j he say good j if you I'll give you a light to your Outside the night was black as a spruce Isadore produced an electric torch and walked to the shore beside Close on the heels of the trader followed As he pushed off the canoe Finlay evening was most and Finlay and Malone paddled In sl-j lence until they were well what do you think of that for a dinner snorted fingers ached to drown him in front of his Drugged his own Some joke on the slick Jules And was he was clever headwork of when I signalled that he'd drugged the That strange western custom of switching glasses had him stopped Nothing like an Irish Red you'd like the girls couldn't have been wise to his It didn't look But what was his plan when he had us believe he wanted to search He'd let us sleep it then he'd apologize for his strong wine we couldn't showing up here must have staggered But he's got interests me most is this He seems to be a bogey man at and Lise looked as if she'd seen a ghost when she spotted him in the She must know he's Isadore's private wonder how much those gals do anything out of She threw a wicked eye at I was worried thought she'd kiss you right before King Red a doll to trot on your She's right up my alley for But she didn't ask a suspicious How about puzzled She started off with a rush was gay and then suddenly grew Drank hardly Didn't hear half what I was sure easy on the eyes in those easier in that white dress at Skin sort of The distinct impression I got was that she wants to leave She didn't say of But I sensed it She's The approach of the canoe to the island where Blaise had a bright fire burning as a beacon was announced by the barking what do you think of asked when he had finished his leave mean Brassard fallar come here after I give dem and taste of Den dey We move Onles you wish to what's it all demanded Blaise told his That afternoon the two hunters had brought a canoe load of sturgeon to Isadore's place to be traded for They were in the trade-room when the Peterboro was first sighted far down the Labelle rushed in and called the man with the scarred face outside where Isadore was watching the distant canoe through the two Indians moved to the door and The trader was wild with he said to come de men you said drown in de Long of dp The trader struck Batoche in the face but Labelle stepped between Then they moved away out of earshot of the the were starting with their supplies for their fishing camp when they heard an angry voice up the good are Now Isadore send me to dat Island tonight to finish your They looked and saw the man with white called the with a little talking to after the hunters had come to the island with the BE |